Kamaru Usman reacts to rival Colby Covington's retirement, possible "disconnect" between him and the UFC

Kamaru Usman is seemingly surprised by his longtime rival Colby Covington's decision to retire from the UFC. "The Nigerian Nightmare" has put forth his breakdown of the same, suggesting that "Chaos" might have had more to offer in the UFC and the sport of MMA. 

Kamaru Usman opens up about Colby Covington's UFC retirement

As reported by ESPN earlier this week, the UFC confirmed that Colby Covington notified them regarding his decision to retire. Covington's retirement from the sport of mixed martial arts has been a hot-button topic in the MMA community over the past few days. 

Since losing in his rematch against Kamaru Usman in 2021, Covington has competed just three times and gone 1-2 inside the octagon. The ex-interim UFC welterweight champion's retirement was a key topic of discussion in a recent edition of the "Pound 4 Pound" podcast, hosted by Usman and former UFC flyweight and bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo. 

Notably, Usman suggested that he doesn't believe that Covington quit the UFC "out of spite" for not being accorded a spot on the UFC's special White House card, UFC Freedom 250, that'll transpire on June 14, 2026. He added, "I don't think it's necessarily that deep. Obviously, the activity is much less, and he has expressed his willingness to want to get in there, and want to fight, and want to be compensated the way he feels that is necessary." 

The Nigeria-born American fighter indicated that there's a certain "unhappiness" on the part of Covington and a few other fighters on the UFC roster. The 39-year-old implied that it's because "Chaos" and the other allegedly disgruntled athletes weren't being given fights as frequently as they'd like to by the UFC. For context, the 38-year-old Covington's most recent octagon appearance was back in December 2024. 

Kamaru Usman seems surprised about Colby Covington's UFC retirement, notes supposed "disconnect" between "Chaos" and the UFC

Kamaru Usman pointed out that Colby Covington's inactivity in the UFC doesn't necessarily appear to be because he's unable to compete, as he has been competing in the wrestling realm in the RAF (Real American Freestyle) organization. Usman said, "There's some type of discord there. There's some type of disconnect between Covington and the UFC, and why they can't get him in there, or why isn't he getting fights that he wants, or just fights, period." 

Moreover, the former UFC welterweight champion alluded to his pair of UFC 170-pound title encounters against Covington inside the octagon. Usman bested him via fifth-round TKO in their first fight in 2019 and via unanimous decision in their rematch in 2021. He underlined that they share a deep history and connection with one another, alluding to the magnitude of their rivalry and title fights opposite each other. 

Speaking of which, he appeared to express his surprise about Covington's decision to retire. In regard to his longtime rival's MMA retirement, Usman noted, "For him, I don't understand why." He further highlighted that any fight Covington partakes in commands attention.

Furthermore, Usman and Cejudo speculated that Covington is likely to continue competing in the RAF. As for Usman himself, the UFC hasn't officially announced his next fight as of yet. Nevertheless, he's rumored to be fighting Dricus du Plessis soon. 

 

Watch Usman and Cejudo discuss Covington's retirement in the video below (*topic starts at the 3:44 minute mark):